After all, Bigfoot has left its Ford pickup body for a new Chevrolet Silverado one. For more than 35 years Bigfoot was associated with Ford, but no more. We all know, that for many people this news would hurt so much, but there it is – Bigfoot changes the team. There are so much news that we all would take easily, but not and this one.

Bigfoot is said to lead the monster truck public relationships, but Ford dropped its sponsorship of the team in 2007. That left Firestone tires as the main sponsor, and since the company also throws plenty of cash at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, it’s aching for some cross-promotion. Since Chevrolet also sponsors the event, Big Foot will be wearing new skin and a heart transplant. We’ll see what is going to happen now.

The muscle car war is a fact. At Cars.com are celebrating the recent success of America’s reborn muscle cars with an interactive map which show the places, color coded according to the specific car model. The bigger the circle, the larger the search disparity. However, there’s something you should know – the percentages are highest in small towns, so if you live in a big city, a substantial spike in pony car searches is unlikely. Cars.com says that the Mustang has the highest search total of the three vehicles. You should really see the map and enjoy it - http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2010/07/muscle-car-hot-spots.html

Dodge Celebrates the Ultimate Factory Customized Viper
July 1, 2010 , Auburn Hills, Mich.
Dodge Brand President and CEO Ralph Gilles (right) and plant manager Shelly Brown Gordon (third from right) welcomed more than 400 hundred loyal Viper owners at the Conner Avenue Assembly Plant in Detroit today to present the ultimate factory customized 2010 Dodge Viper coupe to proud new owner D’Ann Rauh (second from right). Rauh and her husband Wayne from Arp, Texas, own more than 40 Dodge Vipers – the largest personal collection of Vipers in the world.

A member of the Mid-South Viper Club of America, D’Ann Rauh worked exclusively with the Dodge Design team to select the personal touches she wanted on her car. The custom bronzed gold exterior paint was supplied by House of Kolor. The custom interior features various leather appointments, which were crafted by Tony Spampinito from Venzano, who has worked with the Rauhs on previous Viper projects.

Bob Soroka, from Chrysler Group LLC’s Street and Racing Technology team, airbrushed layouts of Viper-significant race tracks into the custom-painted copper stripes applied by Prefix. The five-spoke forged-aluminum wheels are custom painted in dark graphite.

Members from both the Motor City Viper Club and the Viper Club of America participated in the celebration.

Rauh’s Viper is the last of the current-generation Vipers built at the plant. Dodge has created more special-edition Viper models for the 2010 model year than all other model years combined. Production on the Dodge Viper started in 1992.

Ford Racing has presented the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series Mustang, creating a moment that will enter the company’s history. The company is determined to take this year’s trophy home, with Jamie Allison, director of Ford North America Motorsports announcing that if a Ford Driver wins Friday night’s event, he will get a 412 hp 2011 5.0 liter Mustang GT production car.

The Subway Jalapeno 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series event is set to take place at Daytona International Speedway.

“Normally, when we go to a NASCAR race, the drivers are the recognized stars as far as fans are concerned. That’s not the case this week.” said Allison. “Mustang and its debut in NASCAR is undoubtedly a huge story for fans and enthusiasts, and we want to make its debut a little more special for our drivers competing in the race. With a win, they have a chance to put their name down next to some of the Mustang racing legends.”

Here’s something that is Mini .. and Maxi, as well. We all know this is a muscle cars blog, but this car nothing more than a pure hellish muscle car. We know an engine that delivers 175 hp is more than enough to make a contemporary MINI a  performance vehicle. But how about doubling the figure? You’d get a 350 hp MINI. But why limit yourself? Why not take the new power rating and multiply it by…. let’s say ten? Are you still with us?

If the answer is “yes”, then we have to tell you that we haven’t forgotten our brains in a test drive car or anything like that, we’ve just taken a look in Cummins’ garden and found out that the world’s largest diesel engine maker (the adjective can be used for both “Cummins” and “engine”) has strapped a 11 tonnes, 3,500 hp oil-burner to a classic Mini. Now, that’s the kind of MINI diesel we’d drive.

The vehicle, which will be showcased at the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed, features the largest engine in the company’s offer. The QSK78 powerplant, which is also the largest oil burner in the UK, uses a V18 layout, has a 78 liter displacement and uses 12 turbochargers to deliver 3,500 hp and a maximum torque of 14,800 Nm.

The engine’s everyday job is to power mining industry dump trucks that can carry up to 360 tonnes so we’re guessing it could do a pretty good job with the MINI.

“We never like to let a challenge go by unanswered so we got to thinking maybe we could fit the QSK78 into an original Austin Mini. It proved to be a bit tricky to fit under the bonnet but our engineers came up with a more creative solution. We’re certain that the Goodwood crowd will have difficulty believing what they are seeing,” said Steve Nendick, Cummins’ Communications Director.

3500 HP Mini Cooper

 

1979 wide-body Corvette designed by Corvette racing legend John Greenwood. Black Beauty with red interior and desirable L82. Mirror finish black paint against red leather. Loaded with options including the performance L82 motor, matching numbers and completely stock engine, transmission and interior with less than 18,200 original miles, down to the original factory AM/FM player. Motor compartment is detailed and fully serviced. The 235/60R15 BFGoodrich tires are brand new, all the rubber is brand new, and the glass and trim are very good. Additional options and accessories include glass tops, power disc brakes, power steering, aluminum wheels, polished aluminum valve covers, spoiler integrated to the body, wide fenders, side air vents, power windows, power antenna, tilt telescopic wheel, air conditioning, rear defog and cruise control.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

HOUSTON, June 25 /PRNewswire/ — In late May, Pennzoil announced the start of the “Get Your Key to Clean” promotion to celebrate the launch of Pennzoil’s best cleansing portfolio of products ever. The promotional sweepstakes provides consumers the opportunity to win a VIP weekend at the Bank of America 500 in October, as well as a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS, a piece of automotive history, the first vehicle produced by the newly formed RCR Street Performance Group.

The special edition 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS is the first of its kind and has been up-fitted and enhanced with numerous performance upgrades that are befitting one of the most successful NASCAR teams, Richard Childress Racing, and the maker of some of the most technologically advanced motor oils available, Pennzoil®. Additions to the vehicle include a carbon fiber body kit to increase downforce and performance, a completely reupholstered interior using the iconic colors of Pennzoil® and RCR, and a completely revamped suspension and supercharged engine for NASCAR-inspired performance. Contestants can go to www.pennzoil.com to register to win it.

Project American Heroes Chevelle is the third in a series of specially enhanced muscle cars built by Route 66 Motorsports and documented by Super Chevy Magazine with proceeds of the auction going to the Armed Forces Foundation. The very best parts supplied from over 30 participating sponsors are combined into this high performance vehicle. Route 66 Motorsports provided all of the build talent and support to make this car a reality.

Beginning with a donated 1970 Chevelle, the latest design components from Detroit Speed & Engineering were used for both front and rear suspensions and were combined with Baer Brakes’ new “6P” brake system. Power from the GM Performance Parts LSA intercooled and supercharged engine with computer management power is delivered through a TCI Automotive 6x 6-speed 4L80E transmission to an Inland Empire driveshaft that connects to the Strange Engineering rear end. Additional parts needed to complete this combination were Aeromotive fuel components, a K&N air filtration system, Autorad radiator system, Lucas Oil Products synthetic lubricants, Edelbrock LS package of headers, exhaust and motor mounts. Rounding out the driveline components are Toyo Tires USA high performance tires wrapped around specially designed one-off Boze Alloy custom 6-spoke wheels that have the insignia of each branch of the military etched in place.

MUSTANG V-6 AVERAGES 48.5 MPG; RUNS 1,457 LAPS AT BRISTOL ON A SINGLE TANK OF GAS

* The 2011 Ford Mustang V-6 sets a new record by averaging 48.5 mpg on a track while completing 1,457 laps with an average speed of 43.9 mph
* Mustang is powered by a new 3.7-liter V-6 engine that uses advanced engineering and technology to deliver great performance and fuel economy
* More than 51,000 entries were received for the Mustang 1,000 Lap Challenge with 22 entries guessing the winning number of laps
* A team of five drivers, including four Ford Mustang engineers and Ford NASCAR star David Ragan, drove the Mustang during its record run

Mustang 1,000 Lap Challenge

BRISTOL, TN., June 24, 2010 – The 2011 Ford Mustang, which made history when it became the first car ever to deliver more than 30 mpg and 305 horsepower, has set a new record by running 1,457 laps at Bristol Motor Speedway while averaging 48.5 mpg.

The Mustang 1,000 Lap Challenge was designed to demonstrate that a stock production Mustang V-6 could run 1,000 laps and 533 miles on a single of tank of fuel. With the aid of fuel efficient driving techniques by Ford engineers, the Mustang far surpassed its goal of 1,000 laps.

“To see a Mustang post average fuel economy of 48.5 mpg while running at Bristol is impressive,” said Dave Pericak, Mustang chief engineer. “The new V-6 engine along with the advanced six-speed transmission in the car is a key element in delivering both fuel economy and performance for Mustang.”